One of the most underrated yet highly valuable skills to have is attention to detail. An immaculate person is unlikely to have any mistakes on their final draft and needs the least amount of supervision. These are employees employers know they can give minimal instruction to and would still find the perfect file at their desk the next day. Detail orientation also helps you lead your daily life better, as you become more financially responsible and organized.
Ways to become a detail-oriented employee
While attention to detail comes easily to some, others need a bit of a push. Here are some ways you can become a detail-oriented employee:
Be clear on the instructions
The first step to becoming detail-oriented is to work on your active listening skills. When you receive a request, listen to the other person. Don’t start thinking about what you have to do immediately.
Instead, hear the other person out. Then, frame the instructions right back as a question to them. Once you get confirmation on what they want, you can follow up with through with more clarification questions. You’ll have an accurate timeline of when the work needs to be done.
Group large tasks into smaller ones
Instead of focusing on the end goal of a project, focus on the small tasks that make up the big picture project. Group the tasks by order of priority and add important and minute details to each task.
You should use a task management system for this. You can set deadlines, assign dates and times for working on a task, and add resources to each task for easy access.
Focusing on a singular task will reduce the chances of errors.
Proofread
While you can proofread as and when while you are working, it is better not to. Instead, finish the task at hand in one go. Once done, take a mini break. Let your brain reset and then begin proofreading your work.
Don’t be satisfied with cursory proofreading. Do it again and again, until you think the work meets your expectations.
Sometimes, your eyes glaze over a minor mistake the first time. However, it’s unlikely to happen twice or thrice.
The more you proofread, the more unlikely you are to have the task returned for future edits.
Take a small break
After you are done with the first bout of proofreading, take a break. If you are ahead of your deadline, you can take more than a day’s break. Focus on other tasks or simply let your mind rest.
Later, come back to the main work. Read the priority task once more. Now, you can finally submit.
Final Thoughts
Becoming a detail-oriented employee would do wonders for your reputation. Your employers know they can rely on you to submit error-free work. They are not only highly likely to promote you to managerial positions, but they will also be more than happy to recommend you for other jobs. Speaking of jobs, if you think you are detail-oriented and want to try out new things with your skill, you will find many opportunities at BCJobs.
About the Author
BCjobs.ca is Western Canada’s largest job board, with the majority of the jobs coming from Vancouver. For nearly 20 years, BC Jobs has connected job candidates with companies looking to add talent to their teams. Here at BCJobs, we understand that looking for a job is difficult. To support our candidates, we recently launched a podcast to help you stand out during your job application. Listen to weekly episodes on our podcast to hear what recruiters are thinking and what companies look for when considering their next hire.
